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Marco Belinelli
Marco Stefano Belinelli (born March 25, 1986) is an Italian professional basketball player who plays for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) tall and plays as a shooting guard. He was selected 18th overall in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors. Professional career Prior to his NBA career, Belinelli played for Italy's Virtus Bologna and Fortitudo Bologna in the Italian Lega A and the Euroleague. At the age of nineteen, in the 2005, he won the Italian League in the series against Olimpia Milano, ended 3–1 for Fortitudo Bologna. Italian national team Belinelli has also played for the Italian national team. He competed at the 2006 FIBA World Championship and scored 25 points against the United States national team in preliminary round play, and averaged 13.5 points per game for the rest of the tournament. Golden State Warriors After being selected #18 in the first round of the 2007 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors, Belinelli scored 37 points in his first NBA Summer League game against the New Orleans Hornets, going 14-on-20 from the field, including 5-on-7 from behind the arc, adding 5 boards, 2 assists and 1 steal to help the Warriors earn a 110–102 win. His performance is tied for second for the highest scoring game ever in Vegas summer league history, behind Keith Bogans' 38 scored as a member of the Orlando Magic in 2004. Belinelli finished his Summer League scoring an average of 22.8 points per game in 4 games with the Warriors, before flying back to Itay to be part of the Italian national team for EuroBasket 2007. In his sophomore year in NBA, he has been improving his presence in terms of minutes per game, points per game, and assists. On December 19, 2008, he scored 27 points, his personal best, in a game the Warriors lost to Atlanta Hawks. Toronto Raptors On July 30, 2009, he was traded to the Toronto Raptors for Devean George, joining Italian national squad teammate Andrea Bargnani. He played his first NBA game as a starter for Toronto on February 2, 2010 against the Indiana Pacers. New Orleans Hornets On August 11, 2010, he was traded to the New Orleans Hornets for Julian Wright. After 2010–11 season, he became a restricted free agent. On December 13, 2011, he signed the $3.4 million qualifying offer to stay with the Hornets for one more year. Chicago Bulls On July 24, 2012, Belinelli signed with the Chicago Bulls. Since joining the Bulls, Belinelli has developed a reputation of being a clutch player, hitting shots that include a game winning shot against the Celtics in overtime while falling down, a go-ahead layup against the Detroit Pistons after Joakim Noah saved the ball from going out of bounds, a game-winning lay-up with 20 seconds remaining against the Brooklyn Nets, and a 3 pointer to give the Bulls a 1 point lead with 5 seconds remaining in a game vs. the Utah Jazz. Belinelli and Joakim Noah each scored 24 points in a game 7 victory over the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs. San Antonio Spurs On July 11, 2013, Belinelli signed with the San Antonio Spurs. NBA career statistics Regular season Playoffs Category:Roster